Buffalo Bills News - February 4, 2003

McCollum Names Ex-Bills, Titans Assistant as Offensive Line Coach [6:11 AM]Middle Tennessee State University reports:
'Vinklarek, 44, spent the past two years as the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills where the offensive line paved the way in 2002 for a 4,359-yard passer in Drew Bledsoe, a 1,439-yard rusher in Travis Henry, and two 1,200-plus receivers in Eric Moulds and Peerless Price. Vinklarek was on the same Bills staff as former Blue Raider defensive coordinator Miles Aldridge.'

February 3, 2003

Hawaiian Experience - Billy Buffalo at the Pro Bowl [4:01 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Drew Bledsoe, Ruben Brown, Travis Henry, and Eric Moulds weren't the only ones representing the Buffalo Bills at the annual Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Billy Buffalo, the team's mascot, was part of the festivities on Sunday. For Billy, it was his second trip to the all-star game in past three years. Read his final postcard from Hawaii

Ask Pro Bowl Buffalo Jill [3:17 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Buffalo Jills cheerleader Diana was among the twenty-five cheerleaders selected for the 2003 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. Diana is in her sixth season with the Jills.
Diana will be in Honolulu, Hawaii from January 27 to February 5. When she returns she will talk about her Pro Bowl experience and share some photos of her trip with buffalobills.com.

Request more information and a membership form for the Bills Kids Club [3:09 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Become a member of the Bills Kids Club and show everyone who your favorite team is - the Buffalo Bills.
When you sign up, you will receive your exclusive Bills Kids Club t-shirt, a special welcome card from me, Billy Buffalo, the official Bills team mascot. You will also get some fun stuff like sticker, Bills school supplies, team photos, a quarterly newsletter and a birthday card signed by one of the Bills players.

The Week In Bills History (Feb. 3-8) [11:23 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
February 4, 1993 - RALPH WILSON RESTRUCTURES BILLS' ORGANIZATION
Buffalo Bills' GM Bill Polian was released from his contract with the Bills as owner Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. began to restructure the front office.

5th Down: Chalk Talk with Ralph, Part I [10:55 AM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
Even though the Bills have salary cap room, they'll be cautious spenders in free agency this winter. Re-signing wide receiver Peerless Price is presumably high on the wish list, but the team won't overspend to do it."With Peerless Price, we would like to keep him," Bills owner Ralph Wilson said. "I don't know whether we can. That'll be up to our salary cap situation." Read this week's 5th Down

February 2, 2003

Bledsoe's Pro Bowl Return Gratifying [10:09 AM]NFL.com reports:
'What a difference a year makes. Now Bledsoe is on a new team and appearing in the fourth Pro Bowl of his 10-year career as one of the AFC's three quarterbacks. The others are Oakland's Rich Gannon , who will start Sunday against the NFC at Aloha Stadium, and Indianapolis' Peyton Manning.'

Tag for Peerless may exact too stiff a price [9:47 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'So the question remains for Donahoe: Can the Bills afford to have two players being paid like "1-A" players at the position? The answer almost certainly is no, which Donahoe already has acknowledged.'

February 1, 2003

Update From Hawaii [12:13 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'There was an area for autographs, a sports card show, raffles, and live bands playing all day long. I was even able to buy some really cool Bills merchandise!'

Ex-Bill Parker rides Giant experience into AFL studio [9:09 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'He was practically railroaded out of town by some offensive comments made by local sports talk host Chuck Dickerson. Parker thinks Dickerson lit the fuse and others piled on, making him expendable when the Bills had salary-cap problems. After he left the Bills, Parker was named the most valuable player on the Kansas City Chiefs and went on to a Super Bowl with the Giants.'

January 31, 2003

In Hawaii [1:59 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'This morning, I met Eric, Ruben and Travis for breakfast. Drew couldn't come because he was doing an interview for one of the TV stations. In was so hungry I had five omelets, 8 strips of bacon, and I lost track of all the pancakes. Even Ruben was in awe!'

First Day In Paradise [1:58 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Q: Danny from Salt Lake City, Utah asked if I am worried my tongue might get ripped out by an irate coach like the Calgary Flames mascot, and what precautions I am taking. A: I saw that clip too, Danny, and it was scary to see that such a thing could happen. So I guess I am a little scared. After all, I don't know any of the coaches that are here at the Pro Bowl. But I think if I behave myself and, most importantly, keep my mouth shut, I should be able to leave Hawaii in one piece.'

On My Way [1:57 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'Spending 15 hours on a plane is tough, but when I got to the airport I found out that Mr. Wilson bumped my ticket up to first-class!'

It's Human. Really! [1:57 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'What do athletes and politicians have in common? More than you might think…'

January 29, 2003

Where Are They Now: Charley Ferguson [1:33 PM]BuffaloBills.com reports:
'"One thing that I’m proud of is being able to be part of a team that I thought was very, very good. Both defensively and offensively. What I mean by that is - the three years that we had a lot of success, ‘64, ‘65 and ‘66, although we did lose the (‘66) championship game to Kansas City. If we would have won that game, that would have given us the first opportunity of playing in the Super Bowl," Ferguson said. "I just thought at that time, we were really unified, a lot of camaraderie, the guys were very close, and we just showed that all the way. On the field and off the field."'

January 28, 2003

Lary Bump: Joe D., Lofton deserving of Hall [6:07 PM]Shout! reports:
We knew that the Hall of Fame would be opening its doors to a number of Bills over the next few years, but who would have expected the two who will be going in this year?

Distant Replay [1:19 PM]Washington Times reports:
'"They scared every team in the league but us," Banks said. "When we broke down the films, we saw they had abandoned the running game the last six games of the season. Their running game was a swing pass to Thurman Thomas. We said we were gonna play the pass and basically try to intimidate the receivers, punish them every time they got the ball. They ran a lot of crossing routes, similar to what the Raiders do."'

Forcing Success [10:13 AM]WGRZ-TV reports:
'In fact, as I see it, even red zone stats, or third down stats, or opposing QB rating stats, aren’t nearly the measure of a championship defense as much as a defense’s ability to force turnovers.'

Bucs reinforce Donahoe faith in balance [9:00 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'"We've got a lot of work to do," Donahoe said. "I like a lot of things I saw with our offense this year. We have the potential to be balanced. We probably threw the ball more than we'd like to in the future. Our defense made some strides, but we have to get a lot better."'

January 26, 2003

No. 2 QB couldn't find his way to San Diego [10:52 AM]San Diego Union Tribune reports:
'"(The Super Bowl) sunk in when Disney asked me to sign a waiver sheet to cover their (rear end)," Johnson said. "To me, backing up is more stressful. You don't practice all week. But once you get in there, the butterflies go away."

'D' Day is family affair [9:15 AM]Buffalo News reports:
'...if ever there was a Bill who was a Buffalo type of guy, it was DeLamielleure, a reliable offensive guard who exemplified the town's blue-collar ethos during his 13-year NFL career - eight of them with the Bills.'

Ex-Bills DeLamielleure, Lofton named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame [5:20 AM]D and C reports:
'The Bills public relations department supplied voters with testimonials from scouts, coaches and former players, along with a chart researched by historian John Turney of White Sands, N.M., comparing DeLamielleure’s career vs. the modern-era linemen already enshrined.'

Browns hold spot with lineman [5:19 AM]Cleveland Plain Dealer reports:
'"I will be representing the city of Cleveland and the Browns as much as I will be the Bills."'

DeLamielleure a by-the-numbers Hall of Famer [5:18 AM]Charlotte Observer reports:
'DeLamielleure said he started to think about seven years ago that he wouldn't be elected. It wasn't until this year that he survived the cut to 15 candidates. "The longer you wait, the sweeter it is," he said.'

Former Brown headed to Hall [5:16 AM]Akron Beacon Journal reports:
'DeLamielleure, a salesman who lives in Charlotte, N.C., said he would have played football for ``a cap and a T-shirt,'' but appreciates the comfortable living the game provided his family.'